Renovated Annapolis Yacht Club launches amid boat show

Annapolis Yacht Club Commodore Jim Ellis discusses the renovations to the club after the fire and their recent reopening in the space.

Annapolis Yacht Club Commodore Jim Ellis discusses the renovations to the club after the fire and their recent reopening in the space.

Chase Cook

It’s been three years since the Annapolis Yacht Club building on Compromise Street opened its doors to members.

That changed Sept. 28 when the club had a soft-opening. It invited members for drinks and to tour the $18 million in renovations, which were on display Saturday with the Annapolis Boat Show in town.

About 450 members and guests showed up to the soft launch just over a week ago, said Commodore Jim Ellis.

The commodore serves as the leader of the club. Former Commodore Debbie Gosselin led the club while it rebuilt. And now Ellis is leading the club through the re-opening after a plastic Christmas tree destroyed the interior of the building in December 2015.

“Do I wish someone was nearby to unplug the tree? Yes. In this case I was dealt a fire that wrecked the club,” Ellis said Saturday. “Membership has been supportive of what we are doing.”

The renovated Annapolis Yacht Club is much like the previous club before it. But really the only thing left over from the previous building is the structure. Everything else is new: furniture, carpets, ceilings, Ellis said.

A tour of the Annapolis Yacht Club which opened after extensive reconstruction following a fire which damaged most of the building.

(Paul W. Gillespie)

A new deck was placed on the third floor and some of the bars have been shifted around or extended. There is plenty of space to sit alongside the water and enjoy the view. With the boat show going on, city waters have sprouted a forest of masts. There was no shortage of things to look at for boat enthusiasts.

In the yacht club things were quiet, save for some steel drums linked to a British Virgin Islands event on the first floor. The club’s staff moved about swiftly as they prepped for the day.

“Hello commodore,” they said as they passed Ellis.

It was early in the morning, so club members trickled into the building slowly. Many of them were visiting for the first time to get a glimpse of the renovated building.

For years the club — which started in 1885 as the Severn River Boat Club — has made its home in Annapolis. The past three years the club was a charred husk. The scars of the fire — scorch marks as the flames licked the outer walls — were visible from the street. Most of the destroyed trophies and memorabilia were replaced with support from members, Ellis said.

The cosmetic surgery of renovations has restored the building to its former glory, with a few changes. The elevator is no longer on the exterior of the building, meaning the roof line isn’t interrupted by the elevator’s upper machinery.

Sound-dampening materials were placed in the ceilings to cut down dining room noise. The windows looking out onto Spa Creek now reach from floor to ceiling. The older building had metal panels at the bottom, restricting some of the view, Ellis said.

On the third floor — where the fire started — The Bridge room looks much like it did before. Except for the corner where the fire started.

Previously there were drapes and trophy cases, but now the space is clear and it’s easier to see more of Spa Creek, Ellis said.

“It’s my personal favorite change,” Ellis said as he looked out on Spa Creek. “We didn’t have this before.”

The club spent about two years on Dock Street at its temporary location within the former Harbor Grill restaurant.

A three-alarm fire tore through the Annapolis Yacht Club in Annapolis on Dec. 12, 2015.

(Joshua McKerrow)

Annapolis businessman Harvey Blonder owns the building and it has been returned to him, said Brian Asch, the club’s general manager.

Moving into the temporary location was controversial as some residents said the private club didn’t need the support of government. The city bent zoning rules a bit to allow the private club to operate within the former restaurant. To maintain the site’s status as a restaurant, the city required the yacht club to open its private doors to the public once a month for a short lunch.

That site served its purpose, and the club was thankful for the space, but the Compromise Street location has room for more members and better infrastructure, Asch said.

Even at Dock Street, the members still gave it the yacht club feel, he said.

At 130 years, the Annapolis Yacht Club is one of the oldest clubs in America. After fire destroyed the building on Dec. 12, it now enters a new chapter in its long history. Here's a look back at some images from the club's past.

“It was the members that brought the culture to the club,” Asch said. “And the staff.”

Want to join the club?

That will take some time.

The club currently has a two-year wait list. And membership is somewhat difficult to earn. New members have to be sponsored by two regular, life or intermediate members. And incoming members have to have endorsement from five other members, according to the club’s website.

Membership applications also include an interview regarding the individual’s boating interests and character.

Then after all of that, membership requires a fee. This is where the club’s openness ended: Ellis said he couldn’t talk about the cost of membership, citing IRS rules against solicitation. The club is a 501(c)(7) tax-exempt social club.

There are rules on what can be talked about and what can’t be, Ellis said. So the focus stays on boats and members.

“This is not a dining club,” Ellis said. “It’s a yacht club. Everything is about membership value.”

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